Online Personals Watch: News on the Online Dating Industry and Business

Single People Want Deeper Connections and More Substance

WALL STREET JOURNAL - Singles are emerging from the pandemic more serious about finding a partner and less focused on looks, according to the latest Singles in America study, conducted by researchers at the Kinsey Institute and funded by Match. ~75% of the study's participants say they want to find a partner who wants to marry, roughly similar to last year and up from 58% in 2019. Singles became more interested in finding a stable partner and they're spending more time on phone calls and video chats before meeting IRL. Today, one-quarter of singles say they've had a video chat with a date before meeting in person, up from 6% in 2019. Each year, researchers ask single people what they’re looking for in a partner. The No. 1 answer this year is "someone to trust and confide in." Physical attraction dropped out of the top five during the pandemic.

by Elizabeth Bernstein
See full article at Wall Street Journal

See the top news on Match.com

Match.com Ad Banned From TikTok for Being 'Sexist'

MYLONDON - A TikTok ad posted by Match.com has been banned from the platform for perpetuating negative gender stereotypes. The post showed clips of a couple in their home, with one scene showing the man sitting in a chair with his feet up and on the phone while a female voiceover said: "Things that make him realize I'm a keeper." The voiceover then continues, saying: "I will make him his protein shake after the gym", "I always make sure he has a fresh towel and socks after his shower", and "I put the football on for him every evening". The TikTok ad ended with the woman saying: "Find your keeper via Match. Go download the Match app today." Match.com said the ad formed part of a three-video storyline, which also showed gestures carried out by the man for the woman.

by Josie Clarke & Hannah Cottrell
See full article at MyLondon

See the top news on Match.com

The Toll of Dating App Burnout

NEW YORK TIMES - Ten years after the launch of Tinder, some long-term online daters say endless swiping has left them with a bad case of burnout. People in the throes of burnout tend to feel depleted and cynical. For some, the only real option is to quit the dating apps cold turkey; for others, it is about finding smaller ways to set boundaries. "People just get overwhelmed with the whole dating process," said Helen Fisher, a biological anthropologist and chief science adviser to Match.com. Not everyone. The 2020 Pew survey found that 12% of Americans have married or been in a committed relationship with someone they met online, while 57% of those who said they'd tried a dating app said their experience was somewhat, if not very, positive. There are strategies users can try to feel less burned out, one of which may be to simply slow down and talk to fewer matches at once. Bumble encourages users to "browse mindfully" and "stay balanced". "People binge, and that is what exhausts them," Dr. Fisher said.

by Catherine Pearson
See full article at New York Times

See the top news on Tinder
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Match Group Expands Background Checks to Match.com and Stir

CNBC - Users on Match.com, which is popular among serious daters, and Stir, which is for single parents, will now have access to screen potential dates through the apps. Match Group has been working with Garbo, a nonprofit background check platform that shows public records including arrests, convictions and sex offender registry information, since a 2021 investment in the company. Match Group then launched a pilot program with Garbo on Tinder. Each search costs $2.50 plus a 75-cent processing fee per transaction. The company declined to comment on how many people have used the service through Tinder.

by Jessica Bursztynsky
See full article at CNBC

Mark Brooks: The RealMe is also very worthy of your consideration, and bring together a large pool of background check resources from around the world. RealMe have an industry-specific offering for the dating industry and are a client of Courtland Brooks and support OPW. See dating offering.

See the top news on Match Group
See the top news on Match.com
See the top news on Stir

Tired of Swiping Left, Singles Are Turning to New Matchmaking Services for Dates

CNBC - Some singles, sick of swiping, are going back to matchmakers. There's an emerging crop of apps looking to bring matchmaking to a new generation, mixing old methods with modern technology. One newcomer is Lox Club, a members-only dating app founded in 2020 by CEO Austin Kevitch. Lox Club charges $96 for 12 months. The company offers access to matchmakers, who can set users up with one another or give feedback on the person's profile. Another company is Ambyr Club. Ambyr, launched late last year, hosts two to three events a month at trendy locations for a select group of 10 men and 10 women. Ambyr pairs the 20 people based on who they think would be a good fit. All members have gone through an interview and background check. Applicants pay a $60 application fee and $150 for each event, if they're chosen. Ambyr says it has a 15% acceptance rate and ~200 members in its database. In November, Match.com introduced a human matchmaking element to its dating service. For $4.99 per week, Match employees will flag two profiles a week in an effort to narrow down the options.

by Jessica Bursztynsky
See full article at CNBC

See the top news on Lox Club
See the top news on Ambyr Club
See the top news on Match.com

Match Group Q1 Results - Revenue up 20%, New CEO

MATCH GROUP - Total Revenue grew 20% YOY to $799M. Operating income was $208M, an increase of 10% YOY. Payers increased 13% to 16.3M, up from 14.4M in the prior year quarter. Tinder Direct Revenue grew 18% YOY, driven by 17% payers growth to 10.7M. All Other Brands collectively grew revenue by 22% YOY driven by 14% RPP growth and 7% payers growth to 5.6M.

Key points from Match Group's letter to shareholders:

• Match Group CEO Shar Dubey is stepping down. She will remain as a director and advisor to the company, and Bernard Kim will resume his role as CEO.
• Match Group has published its 2nd annual Impact Report to share its progress on social, environmental, and governance initiatives.
• In Japan, Tinder launched a co-marketing campaign with Netflix for the dating reality TV show Love is Blind: Japan.
• Tinder Coins, its in-app virtual currency, is on track to launch globally this summer.
• Hinge is on track to launch in its first non-English speaking market, Germany, in Q2.
• Hinge is on pace to more than 10x revenue from 2019 to 2022.
• Match, Meetic, Pairs, and POF all successfully leverage tech features from Hyperconnect into their products.

See the top news on Match Group

'Single Shaming': Why People Judge Singles

BBC - Asking why someone is 'still' single and assuring them they'll 'find their person soon' may seem like thoughtful, even sensitive, ways to check in on single friends. However, these simple phrases constitute 'single shaming' - and they're likely to be more harmful than helpful. Data from a survey by dating service Match, shows 52% of 1K single UK adults reported experiencing single shaming "since the start of the pandemic", likely due to the increased focus on whom people could rely on during lockdowns. And even though 59% said they were "content with their relationship status", they still were the target of intrusive questions. Match asked about the common "shaming phrases" single people have heard from others, and 35% said they were told "you'll find someone soon". 29% heard "you must be so lonely", while 38% reported general pity over their relationship status. Bumble's research from October 2021, showed that 53% of Bumble users surveyed "realized that it's okay to be alone for a while", thanks to the pandemic.

by Jessica Klein
See full article at BBC

See the top news on Match.com
See the top news on Bumble

Blast From the Past - Match.com Began Screening Users Against Sex Offender Registry, in 2011

OPW - TRUE was the first sizable company to offer background checks back in 2004. Match then offered them but did not publicize the fact, starting in 2011. Background checks are more complete and more up-to-date in digital form now. Also, verification technology has advanced. See news from 2011 here, along with a very interesting industry commentary thread.

Courtland Brooks is working with three best-in-class tools that are worth of your attention.

1. RealMe - Background checks, now available beyond USA. "Protect your users from bots and fraud."
2. FaceTec - 3D face matching and liveness checking and age checks.
3. OneRep - Removes people's private information off Google and scrubs their profile from 100+ sites.

Which Dating Apps Got the Most Press Coverage Last Year?

OPW - Last year, we mentioned 281 internet dating industry brands in 1,066 posts. Although Match Group and its brands are clearly dominating this list, Bumble takes first place this time, even though only by one post. Here is the full list of companies with the most press coverage for last year.

1. Bumble (131 posts)
2. Tinder (130 posts)
3. Match Group (96 posts)
4. OkCupid (43 posts)
5. Hinge (42 posts)
6. Match.com (35 posts - shared)
7. Grindr (35 posts - shared)
8. The Meet Group (31 posts)
9. Blued (23 posts)
10. Spark Networks (22 posts)

See the full post at Courtland Brooks Blog

Match.com & Metaverse

PROTOCOL - Match Chief Product Officer Dushyant Saraph explains why VR could be the next big thing in dating.

by David Pierce
See full article at Protocol

See the top news on Match.com

Dating Apps Join Forces for Valentine's Vaccination Push

ADWEEK - Tinder, Ourtime, Match, OKCupid, Hinge, Plenty of Fish and Grindr are promoting vaccinations to their users. Ahead of Valentine's Day, the apps have allowed users to display vaccination badges and stickers on their dating profiles to advertise their Covid-19 status to increase their chances of finding a match. Data from Hinge has claimed that its users who share their vaccination status on dating apps receive 30% more matches than those who don't. OKCupid has seen ~1M of its users add a badge stating "I'm Vaccinated" to their profile pages, while Grindr also claims that the badge is among its three most popular.

by Stephen Lepitak
See full article at AdWeek

Match Group Financial Results - 2021 Revenue Just Under $3B

MATCH GROUP - Total Q4 Revenue grew 24% YOY to $806M. Operating income was $232M, up 9% YOY. Payers increased 15% to 16.2M, up from 14.2M in the prior year quarter. Tinder Direct Revenue grew 23% YOY driven by 18% Payers growth to 10.6M and RPP growth of 4%. All Other Brands collectively grew Direct Revenue 26% YOY, driven by 16% RPP growth and 9% Payers growth to 5.7M. In 2021, Match Group's Total Revenue was just under $3B with operating income of $850M. Tinder generated ~$1.7B in Direct Revenue in 2021, up 22% over 2020. Hinge produced $525M of Direct Revenue in 2021, achieving a 91% YOY growth rate. Hyperconnect saw better performance in December compared to the preceding months. Several Match Group brands have begun to leverage Hyperconnect's technology. Meetic opened online video cafes, and Match is offering 1:1 video chat on its app. Pairs and POF intend to leverage Hyperconnect's tech into their apps in early 2022.

See full article at Match Group website

See the top news on Match Group

Match Prediction - What Will Dating Look Like in 2022?

CW33 - Rachel DeAlto, chief dating expert at Match, joined the Morning After to share what to look for when on the dating scene this year.

by Tyler Manning
See full article at CW33

See the top news on Match.com

Match and Candace Bushnell Team up to Help Singles Find Love in 2022

PR NEWSWIRE - Match has partnered with Candace Bushnell, international best-selling author and the OG Carrie Bradshaw, to help Match members find love during dating's peak season. Starting January 2, known as 'Dating Sunday', Candace will be overseeing Match's new Expert Picks feature. With Expert Picks, members will take a quiz to opt-in to receiving hand-picked matches from the Match Experts team, and Candace herself will be personally dropping in to deliver matches.

See full article at PR Newswire

See the top news on Match.com

Match.com Brings Back the Human Touch

WALL STREET JOURNAL - From online dating to social media, algorithms are getting more assistance from humans. Since February, Match Group has been testing a human matchmaking layer to its namesake Match app and will provide two handpicked matches for users willing to pay $4.99 a week. The pilot involves a 50-member team who have been trained as dating coaches by the company. Match said ~30% of its members have already opted in for the feature. Users of the feature were eight times more likely to match - or mutually like one another - with an expert pick versus without the service, Match said.

by Laura Forman
See full article at Wall Street Journal

See the top news on Match.com